Influence of water Temperature on Eggs Incubation Time and Embryonic Development of Fish From Genus <i>Leuciscus</i>

Abstract

Wild living spawners of dace Leuciscus leuciscus (L.), ide L. idus (L.) and chub L. cephalus (L.), were obtained from rivers of central (the Pisa River basin) and northern (the Pasleka River basin) Poland and next transported to a hatchery for artificial reproduction. The obtained eggs were dry fertilized and next incubated in water as different constant temperatures ranging from 4.5 to 29.0 o C. The hatched embryos were kept at the same temperatures until the moment of complete yolk sac resorption and later fed ad libitum on live nauplial Artemia sp. stages. The power function was applied for determination of the relation between the temperature and time until and achievement of each of the thirteen characteristic stages of embryonic development. It was shown that the pace of embryonic development increased with the temperature increase. In the majority of cases, at identical thermal conditions, both the incubation time and the pace of embryonic development were much less diversified among individual of the same species originating from different population than between the individual species. The obtained data finds application in optimization of early raring process and as a consequence will be an important tool in protection of endangered species.